


8 Simple Rules For Dating A Fellow Superhero

by twenty3



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drabble, Established IronStrange, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, IronStrange, M/M, Sexual Content, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:13:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twenty3/pseuds/twenty3
Summary: The title says it all, really.Being a superhero isn't easy. Dating another superhero is even more complicated. Rules help make it easier.Even though sometimes Tony and Stephen don't exactly follow them perfectly.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 29
Kudos: 143





	1. Let Each Other Know You're Safe Whenever You Can

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking!
> 
> This is just a bunch of headcannons and little one shots I had jotted down that came together in what's really a collection more than a story. The title kept ringing in my head as I was writing because it was a popular TV show. *RIP John Ritter*
> 
> There will be 8 chapters because...the title. I'll post as soon as I've edited them - the story is completely written.
> 
> Happy Holidays to everyone! Hope we're all staying safe and enjoying whatever it is we can in these tough times.

It didn’t matter whether or not a battle was currently happening. Or if there was an active threat to the Earth, or one of the other realms under the protection of the Sorcerer Supreme.

Tony and Stephen worried about each other. At all times.

The former’s anxiety issues certainly didn’t disappear when he began dating the sorcerer. It actually got worse, because now he had something he never thought he would, and he was terrified of losing it. He was terrified of losing Stephen, of losing Peter, of dying himself and leaving them heartbroken.

As for Stephen, he loses sleep over the thought of Tony being exposed to the things he himself has had to go through. Nightmares of Dormammu coming back and going after the other man forces him awake in a cold sweat, air refusing to go into his lungs in any capacity.

So they both learned, rather quickly, that the best thing they can do for each other is say they’re okay. No matter what time of day, or how soon it was since they had last seen the other. When they had a free moment, they made sure to do so.

It was thanks to Tony’s technology that they were able to accomplish it so easily. A month or so into their relationship, he developed a watch for Stephen that allowed him to communicate more easily than a phone, due to his issues with his hands. Stephen could dictate a message into the watch, use it to make calls, or simply tap the face twice to send a notification to Tony that all was well. The billionaire was able to do the same.

Roughly a dozen times a day, when they had to be apart, their watches would vibrate once, showing the other’s name on the screen for a moment. Tony would be stuck in a meeting, trying to kill Ross with his eyes, when he would be able to feel Stephen reaching out. Likewise, nothing brought a smile to Stephen’s face faster than when he was exhausted from a training session at Kamar-Taj and would look down to see Tony saying hi.

When he first made the watch, Tony was nervous to give it to Stephen. Because it had only been a month into their relationship, and it was certainly too soon for gifts. _Definitely_ too soon for a gift that seemed to say Tony wanted to have tabs on Stephen at all times.

But his worries were unnecessary. Stephen loved the idea, loved the fact that he was afforded a method to more easily communicate quickly with Tony.

“It doesn’t, like, track you or anything,” Tony said sheepishly while Stephen studied the sleek black watch. “It’s just – I know you’re busy. This is just a way to–”

“Tony,” Stephen cut in gently with a smile. “I get it. I love it. Thank you.”

“You do?” Tony asked with a slight frown.

Stephen breathed a laugh. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I want a way to know you’re okay, and to let you know the same?”

“I was just, uh, just worried it made me look crazy,” Tony admitted quietly.

“You’re not crazy,” Stephen assured him. “Our jobs are crazy, our lives are crazy. Wanting to know we’re both safe isn’t crazy.”

As their relationship evolved, so did their watches.

Eventually, they did track one another. Well, more accurately, they were able to see where the other was if they wished. Which they hardly ever used. The only time Stephen did was so he could portal to exactly where Tony happened to be in order to surprise him with an early return. And Tony utilized it to know when Stephen had returned from parts previously unknown, back to their shared plane of existence.

The next step was a feature Stephen had actually come up with.

Instead of sending each other a notification every once and again, Tony adjusted the watches to steadily pulse, as if it were a heartbeat. So it acted as a constant, comforting presence.

Save for the day Stephen was battling some intergalactic terrorists with Quill and company and was hit with a supersonic blast that disabled his watch.

He hadn’t noticed due to the fact he was preoccupied with the task at hand. It was handled relatively quickly, with nothing more than a bruise here or there among him and the Guardians. But as he was catching his breath, and the feeling was coming back into his hands, it became glaringly obvious what was missing.

Once he realized his watch was no longer transmitting, he portaled to Stark Tower without so much as a goodbye to his companions. Not that they weren’t used to his sudden arrivals and departures by now.

But Tony wasn’t at the Tower. FRIDAY was able to report he had exited the building rather quickly, and was currently at the Sanctum with an elevated heart rate and breathing that signified he was having a rather extreme panic attack.

Stephen found him in the hallway just outside the study. Tony whipped around when he heard the portal open, and would have fallen to his knees if he had the wherewithal to remember he even had knees.

“I’m so sorry,” Stephen said as he crossed over to the other man. “It was disabled. I didn’t realize it until a moment ago.”

It was hard to tell if Tony was nodding, or shaking. “It’s okay,” he breathed more than said. “It just stopped and I–”

Once Stephen was in arms reach, Tony’s facade crumbled. He was kept from falling to the floor by the sorcerer’s strong arms wrapping around him. Tony clung to him, hugging as hard as he could and burying his face against Stephen’s neck to get as much contact as possible.

“I’m so sorry, Tony,” Stephen whispered around the lump in his throat that had formed at the thought of Tony being in pain because of him. “I’m here. I’m alright.”

All in all, it had been roughly seventeen minutes from when Stephen’s watched stopped working until he found Tony in the Sanctum. Less than twenty minutes, but to Tony, it had felt like a lifetime. He was convinced his heart hadn’t been beating at all during that time frame.

For seventeen minutes, Stephen had been gone.

Before Stephen realized what was about to happen, Tony was kissing him madly. The taller of the pair attempted to slow things down, tried to make Tony feel some sense of calm. But he soon realized that was going to be impossible.

His hands were everywhere. In Stephen’s robes, his hair, tugging at everything he could reach. He was still shaking, and it seemed to be getting worse. Even though Stephen’s hands were sore and his body was begging him for some rest, he gathered Tony in his arms and steered them down the hallway to his bedroom.

It was unclear whether or not he used his magic, or if Tony was just that desperate and got rid of their clothes in record time. Stephen decided to let Tony take the lead, allowing him to take things wherever they needed to go for him to feel some sense of relief at the situation. It wasn’t necessarily the healthiest way to go about things, but in the moment, it was very hard for Stephen to deny Tony anything.

The hand between his legs stroking his cock to attention was almost rough. Stephen wished his body would just hurry up and respond, forgo the issues he sometimes faced after a battle. He let the force of Tony kissing him keep him pinned against the bed, the brunet straddling his waist and grinding down against him. Tony was nowhere near ready when he shifted his hips up and all but forced their bodies together.

Stephen was momentarily ashamed at the flash of pleasure that swept over him. This wasn’t passion boiling over between them into one of their more heated nights together. This was Tony trying to convince himself that everything was okay in a manner that was going to do more harm than good if they weren’t careful.

“Tony, baby,” Stephen rasped out as he sat up. “You need to breathe.”

But Tony was shaking his head almost violently. His blunt nails dug into Stephen’s shoulders as he tried to start moving, but Stephen wrapping both arms around his waist and holding him still prevented him from doing so.

He wanted to scream, yell at Stephen to let go and fuck him. To give him everything he could so there was no doubt in his mind that they were both alive and well and here together.

But that wasn’t going to happen, and he knew it.

“I can’t let you hurt yourself,” Stephen was saying gently into his ear. Tony wanted to protest that he was fine. He really meant to. But Stephen was carefully turning them over until Tony was laying against the soft mattress and pillows, and all of the fight immediately went out of him. “Just breathe for me, alright?”

A weak nod was the only response Stephen got for a minute.

When he withdrew from Tony’s body, a strangled breath came from his lover. Stephen quieted his attempt at disagreeing with a gentle kiss that he allowed Tony to turn more needy. He kissed down Tony’s neck, his chest, taking his time on his toned abs while his fingers set to work between Tony’s legs.

A small sigh of relief escaped from Stephen’s lungs when he was sure there was no blood. He went steadily in his preparations, but didn’t tease Tony in the slightest. It was more than clear this wasn’t the time for games.

While his fingers worked Tony open, his mouth found the head of Tony’s dick, all but begging for attention. He sucked at it gently, swirling his tongue until pre-cum started leaking into his mouth.

“Stephen.”

Tony’s voice could best be described as a whine, but that didn’t quite fit. Stephen looked up to see he was already completely disheveled. So he moved back up to find Tony’s lips, kissing him deeply as Tony slid a hand between their bodies and grasped Stephen’s shaft before wrapping his legs around the lean waist.

“I love you,” Stephen swore against Tony’s neck as his hips moved swiftly. He had always tried to make it a point not to say those words during sex, but now, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember why.

All Tony could manage was panting breaths and the occasional chanting of Stephen’s name. His lips found the sweet spot on Stephen’s neck where it curved into his shoulder and he sucked and bit at the skin until Stephen’s long cock moved into him harder and faster.

They crashed over the edge together within a few short minutes.

Tony didn’t fall asleep until he was securely laying against Stephen’s chest, able to hear and feel his heartbeat perfectly.

The moment he woke up, he fixed the watches to be able to determine the difference between a simple power loss and a much more detrimental loss of life.


	2. Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super short. I'm hoping to have two up tomorrow!

“I thought we had a deal.”

The deep voice of his boyfriend made Tony’s shoulders tense. He wasn’t exactly surprised he had been caught in the lab when he was supposed to still be in bed. He just hoped he could manage to look innocent and well enough to avoid an argument.

“I need to finish the coding on Peter’s new suit,” he replied without turning around.

Strong arms were suddenly around him, a broad chest covering his back in warmth. It made Tony shiver. He hadn’t realize how cold he was until he was feeling Stephen’s body heat.

“No,” the sorcerer disagreed gently. “You need rest.”

Bronchitis was a bitch. Especially when your chest and lungs had taken a beating thanks to shrapnel, open heart surgery in a cave, and several years with an arc reactor keeping you alive. But Tony had felt better when he woke up, and was convinced he could handle a couple hours of work before he would call it a day.

He hated to admit that just walking down the hall to the lab had wiped him of all of his energy.

“I have been resting,” Tony huffed, but sank back against Stephen, relishing in his warmth. “I’m tired of being tired.”

“I know, sweetheart.” The endearment disarmed Tony even more, especially given the soothing tone of Stephen’s voice. “But you’re just going to make yourself sicker if you don’t take it easy.”

The intention to protest again was short lived thanks to a wave of dizziness overtaking Tony. If Stephen hadn’t been standing right up against him, he would have surely toppled to the floor.

And, of course, the sorcerer noticed.

In the blink of an eye, Tony found himself on the couch in the living room, wrapped in a blanket, propped up on no less than fifteen pillows. He was wearing clean, warm sweats, and the softest pair of socks he had ever felt.

He looked up at Stephen with an eyebrow raised. “This was magic, right? Or did I black out for the last fifteen minutes?”

“If I say you blacked out will you stay put?”

“I’ll stay put no matter what you say as long as you get under the blanket with me.”

Stephen couldn’t stop the smile from spreading onto his face. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tony’s temple, holding back a comment about the clear fever the brunet still had. “You haven’t eaten anything today, I’d imagine.” Puppy dog eyes came as his answer. “I’ll be right back with some soup and tea. Sit tight.”

Like Tony had any choice. Now that he was cocooned and off his feet, he realized just how awful he still felt. He must have dozed off for a minute, because what felt like only seconds later, Stephen returned with a tray of bowls containing steaming chicken noodle soup, crackers, and two mugs of tea.

It wasn’t until he started eating that Tony noted he was starving. For the better part of the last week, he hadn’t had any appetite whatsoever. That finally changed, and his stomach welcomed the perfectly warm soup as nourishment. He even drank the remaining broth, leaving his bowl completely empty. Much to Stephen’s delight.

With the dishes cleared away, Tony immediately snuggled as close to Stephen as he could get. The taller man wrapped his arm around Tony’s shoulders, holding him tightly. Tony ducked his head under Stephen’s chin, resting against his chest with a happy sigh.

“I’m sorry I’m such a pain in the ass,” he muttered.

Stephen stroked his fingers through Tony’s soft hair. “You’re not. I just hate seeing you sick and want you to feel better.”

“I do feel better now that you’re here.”

“Try and get some sleep.”

Tony huffed. “But I want to hang out with you.”

“This counts as hanging out. Let’s take a nap together.”

“Are you tired?” Tony asked, his own voice laced with sleep already.

Stephen laughed softly. He couldn’t help it. “Yeah, I am.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want to do, honey.”

Within thirty seconds, Tony was fast asleep.


	3. Don't Keep It With You

Dealing with things that are impossible to deal with is one of many things Stephen learned from Tony.

The billionaire seemed to be able to handle it all effortlessly. Of course, as they got closer, and especially once they started dating, Stephen saw that Tony had developed the tools necessary for working through his issues. He wasn’t perfect at it, and never would be. But the things he was able to teach Stephen were instrumental in helping the sorcerer, while also cementing their bond.

“You have to let yourself feel however it is you’re feeling.”

“What does that even mean?”

Stephen hadn’t meant to snap. He knew he was being an asshole just for the sake of being an asshole. He was tired, sore, angry, disheartened. So he just had to feel all of those awful emotions and everything would be fine? Great advice.

Despite the demeanor of the man across from him, Tony remained calm. “It means you shouldn’t try to fight it. These things can be overwhelming, and your first instinct is to keep it all at bay. But you can’t do that. Just let yourself feel how you feel and try to work through it.”

“So it’s totally fine that I feel like the world is collapsing in around me and there’s nothing I can do to stop it? That’s okay?”

Tony nodded once. “Yes. It is.”

Finding he couldn’t argue with that, Stephen decided to roll with it, assuming it would be a disaster and he would therefore be able to prove Tony wrong.

Of course, Tony was right.

When Stephen’s behavior escalated, he expected Tony would leave the room swiftly, abandoning him to deal with everything on his own. But Tony remained stoic. He remained patient and understanding.

“Are you seriously just going to let me berate you all night?” Stephen demanded.

“If that’s what you need from me, then yeah,” Tony replied evenly. “I know you’re not upset at me. Even if you are, or just think you are, it’s okay. This is healthier than trying to bottle it all up. You can’t keep it with you, Stephen.”

_I want to keep you with me_ , Stephen thought, but for some reason didn’t say. He was too all over the place, too unsure of himself at the moment.  Why was it so easy to say hurtful things in times of anguish and yet so difficult to say the good things, the things that were so very clearly true but that he had such a hard time articulating?

Over time, he got better and better at it.

Thanks to Tony.

More often than not, they worked through whatever they  needed to together. Sometimes they needed space, they needed room to breathe and process and gather their thoughts. But by and large, they needed each other.

I t wasn’t easy for Stephen to practice what Tony was preaching. In large part it was because of the nightmares and flashbacks. He didn’t understand how he was supposed to not ‘keep it with him’ when there were constant reminders of the things he had seen and done seemingly lurking in every shadowy corner. 

“I don’t mean that you have to get over everything in one go,” Tony said, voice coming softly from where he was sitting behind Stephen in the large penthouse bed. Stephen was situated between his legs, leaning back onto his chest, hands resting on Tony’s arms crossed over his shoulders. “I just mean you don’t have to let everything accumulate on you until it’s too heavy to carry.”

“It’s not about me,” Stephen said so quietly Tony almost hadn’t heard him. He guessed it wasn’t a comment meant for him, so he decided not to ask about it. A sigh followed not long after. “I’m trying.”

Tony tightened his hold on Stephen just so. “I know you are, honey. I know it’s not easy. I’m not trying to convince you that it is.” He craned his neck and brushed his lips against Stephen’s cheek. “Just know that no matter what, I’m always going to be here for you. I’m always going to love you.”

It often astonished Stephen how Tony seemed to be able to read his mind. The engineer had jokingly accused him of using his magic to do so to him on a few occasions. But Tony seemed to truly be able to decipher exactly what Stephen was thinking and feeling and respond accordingly. He was worried his mood swings and temperament revolving around his responsibilities would alienate Tony. In reality, it was actually doing the opposite.

Stephen lifted Tony’s hand to press a kiss to his calloused knuckles. “I know. I don’t understand why, exactly, but I know.”

Day after day, it became a little easier to focus on what was in front of him as opposed to what was behind him. He saw Tony doing the same, and knowing he had him by his side helped tremendously.

It seemed anything was possible when they were in each other’s teams.


	4. Don't Be Stupid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post two chapters today because they're both short, and I got them edited in time :) will hopefully get the rest up this week!

The rooftop Tony landed on was about seven blocks from the center of the battle.

Well, _landed_ was a generous term. He didn’t quite crash, but the last thing it had been was graceful.

This was after he disengaged his suit to distract the would be invaders of New York. A fake surrender caught their attention effectively. But, to be fair, they weren’t the most intelligent or sinister of enemies the Avengers had faced to date. They were more annoying than anything, but could still do some damage. As evidenced by the burns on Tony’s torso which were revealed to the cool night air as the suit fell away from his body once more.

“Are you out of your _fucking_ mind?!”

Staggering to his feet, Tony turned to find Stephen stalking towards him. He backed up out of instinct, assuming that if he kept his distance from the sorcerer, he wouldn’t be able to see the injuries he had sustained.

“I think we both know the answer to that is a resounding _yes_ ,” Tony muttered, and immediately wished he hadn’t.

Stephen’s eyes were devoid of all color. Tony knew that it was due to the lack of light. That’s what made them fluctuate between tones of green and blue. But right now, they were stone gray, and Tony was having a hard time believing it had nothing to do with his clear anger.

“Care to explain what you were thinking?”

“Oh, you know, just that those asshats were going to–”

In one swift motion, Stephen was in front of Tony, seizing his shoulders and forcing him back until he was pressed against the brick wall. Tony was stunned, but not hurt. There was no conceivable instance where Stephen would ever, ever hurt Tony. No matter how angry he may be. And Tony knew that.

But Stephen was still intending to send a message. “Will you, for fucking  _once_ , be serious?” he demanded. All Tony could do was look at him. “You were almost just killed. Right in front of me, and Peter, and Rhodey. And you want to make a joke out of it?”

“I’m not trying–”

“How could you be so stupid, Tony?”

The tone of Stephen’s voice was eating at him more than his words were. There was clearly anger, but it was just there to mask the fear and hurt. Tony reached up, but was only able to briefly cover Stephen’s hands with his own before the taller man was tearing them away and taking a step back.

As much as he didn’t want to, Tony let him retreat. “ You promised – we both promised – to never do anything stupid. To never do anything reckless.”

Tony nodded slightly. “We also promised to understand that sometimes we have to make tough choices to protect the earth, to protect the people we love.”

“That wasn’t a tough choice. That was a _stupid_ god damn choice, and you know it.”

I f he hadn’t been able to tell already, the swearing would have let Tony know how upset Stephen was. The usually well put together and composed former neurosurgeon hardly ever swore this much, unless he was  overly emotional or in a state of extreme lust. As it turned out, Tony was the only person on the face of the earth who was capable  of  eliciting such a response from Stephen.  U nder both circumstances.  The la t ter, of course, was much more preferable to the current situation.

“I’m sorry, Stephen.”

And Tony meant it. The last thing he ever wanted was to cause Stephen any pain.

“I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to be okay. I want you to be _alive_ , Tony. Not taking off your suit and making yourself an open fucking target for anyone who wants to–”

A lump lodging itself securely in Stephen’s throat cut off the rest of his intended rant.  His hands, which had previously been waving about, fell uselessly to his sides. When Tony slowly advanced towards him, Stephen stayed put, allowing the distance to be closed a step at a time.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said again before reaching out and wrapping his arms around the other man. Stephen didn’t hesitate in the slightest in returning the embrace. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Stephen huffed at that. He wanted to ask what that was supposed to mean, to point out that it didn’t matter if it was intentional or planned. All that mattered was that Tony had done it when he knew better.

But if there was one thing Stephen knew for sure, it was that they simply didn’t have enough time to be mad at each other. When they fought, it was always short lived, giving way to sincere apologies and acceptances so they could just enjoy the fact that they were together.

This was going to be the same. They both knew that.

“Are you alright?”

Stephen’s words breathed across Tony’s neck, causing him to shiver slightly. He nodded the best he could against Stephen’s shoulder and pulled him just a little tighter. “Sore. Couple of bruises and burns. Nothing that won’t heal.”

At that, Stephen stepped back to get a better look. His heart tugged at the sight of the wounds on Tony’s chest and stomach, but the other man was right. Nothing that wouldn’t heal in time.

“I can’t lose you, Tony.”

S trong hands came up to frame Stephen’s face. “You didn’t. I’m right here.”

That wasn’t the point. Tony knew that. But arguing about it would get them nowhere. And as the weight of the last several moments settled onto them, they decided without having to discuss it that all they wanted to do was get home, get cleaned up, and get into bed.

So that’s what they did.


	5. Keep The Little Things In Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the comments and kudos! Editing this has taken a little detour because I'm yet again falling down the pit of starting more stories as opposed to finishing the ones that have been glaring at me for days...weeks...months...years...

Despite his success as a doctor affording him the ability to purchase any luxury he could think of, Stephen derived the most pleasure out of the little things in life.

A quiet day at the Sanctum with Tony. Reading by the fire while snow came down outside. Baking cookies with Peter on Christmas Eve. Watching scary movies for three days straight when Harley was visiting from Tennessee.

And clean sheets.

He really, really loved clean sheets. It seems obvious. Who doesn’t like clean sheets? But it was just one of those things Stephen appreciated and relished in. The feel of crawling into a freshly made bed, with warm blankets that smelled like lavender, was so calming.

Thankfully, the sleeping arrangements were something Tony and Stephen agreed on absolutely perfectly. In each of their beds (because while Tony had basically moved into the Sanctum, he still had the penthouse where they would stay every once and again) they had bamboo sheets that were the softest either of them had ever felt. There was also a weighted blanket to help with Tony’s anxiety, and a heated blanket to ease the pain in Stephen’s hands. And keep their feet warm on cold nights, of course.

Tony made it a point to keep track of every little thing Stephen liked and disliked. He actually had a list in his phone to make sure he never forgot anything. There was no way he would ever admit that to the other man, however. It was another aspect of his anxiety. He was terrified he was going to ruin everything between them, and was determined to do whatever he had to keep that from happening. So he took notes. Paid attention to each and every little thing Stephen told him or showed him.

Even though Stephen was away at Kamar-Taj until the following night, Tony stayed at the Sanctum. He spent most of his time tidying up. Doing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, organizing the library that he may or may not have been the one to mess up. Going grocery shopping and restocking all of Stephen and Wong’s favorites.

At just before ten the second night, Stephen finally returned. He found Tony in the bedroom, sprawled on the overstuffed couch in front of the roaring fireplace, sketching on his notepad. Brown eyes looked up immediately, and a bright smile came onto his face when he saw Stephen.

“Hey, honey.”

Stephen’s response was muffled by his falling onto the couch, mostly on top of Tony, and burying his face in Tony’s chest. A soft laugh came from the genius as he wrapped his arms around Stephen, earning a happy sigh from the man now on top of him.

Gently, Tony worked his fingers through Stephen’s hair. His other hand ran up and down his spine, rubbing along the bumps slowly to relieve any tension built up there. Stephen all but melted against him. As comfortable as he was, Tony knew he had to get Stephen up and into bed before he passed out here and eventually woke up with a stiff neck.

“Come on, baby,” Tony said softly just before Stephen drifted off. “Let’s get you into bed, yeah?”

After a quick shower, they did just that. Stephen snuggled into the pillows immediately, reaching out to draw Tony against him. The brunet went willingly. Stephen’s head found Tony’s chest, where he nuzzled against the warmth of his boyfriend.

Suddenly, he pulled back, looking up at Tony. “Did you wash the sheets?”

Tony nodded once. “Yeah. I wanted you to come home to a nice clean bed.”

Tears welled up in Stephen’s eyes, making Tony frown. But they were good tears. Brought on by Tony’s thoughtfulness and his use of the word _home._ The sorcerer was absolutely exhausted, and had wanted nothing more than to just be with Tony and get some sleep. The fact that Tony did something so simple, but yet so important made Stephen’s heart swell.

“Thank you,” he all but whispered before kissing Tony soundly.

“It’s not a big deal,” Tony replied, but was starting to smile at Stephen’s reaction.

Stephen shook his head. “It is. You’re so great, Tony. I don’t tell you that enough.”

With a chuckle, Tony brought Stephen back against his chest and pressed a kiss to his still damp hair. “You’re pretty great too, wizard. Now get some sleep, honey. I’ve got you.”

The very next day, Stephen started thinking about how he was going to do something thoughtful for Tony. The billionaire was much better at this sort of thing than Stephen felt he himself was, although his boyfriend didn’t agree with that. He would argue that Stephen did a million little things every day that told Tony how much he cared.

Reheating his coffee to the perfect temperature for him with a wave of his hand when Tony forgot about it while it sat on the counter for three hours. Bookmarking journal articles he thought Tony would be interested in checking out. Ordering Thai food for them, when really Stephen would have preferred Italian.

But none of that occurred to Stephen because to him, those were all things that just came naturally. He wanted to do something he actually put thought into, that he knew Tony would love.

The answer presented itself fairly quickly.

It was rare for them to have an entire day off, free from responsibilities and distractions, to spend together. An entire weekend was practically unheard of. So Stephen started making phone calls to arrange just that.

The confused look on Tony’s face when he was trying to find his schedule for that Friday was one of the most adorable things Stephen had ever seen.

“FRIDAY,” Tony said with a sigh. “Did I delete all of my meetings out of anger again?”

“No, Boss. You have nothing scheduled until Monday morning at ten.”

Tony frowned. “That’s not right. It’s the last Friday of the month. I have to–”

“Your day is clear, Boss,” FRIDAY chimed almost teasingly.

“I may have taken the liberty of making some adjustments on your behalf,” Stephen offered from his spot in the arm chair across from Tony.

That earned a raised eyebrow. “Oh?”

Stephen nodded. “Pepper is covering for you. Wong is covering for me.”

Slight panic flared up at Tony’s assumption he was forgetting something. “What’s the special occasion?” he asked hesitantly.

“Just that I love you,” Stephen answered with a shrug. “And wanted to be able to spend a whole weekend with you.”

Tony’s smile was almost blinding. “Doing what, exactly?”

“Watching all of the Star Wars movies. Eating junk food. Taking naps. Making out and fooling around, I’d imagine. Whatever we want, really.”

In record time, Tony was across the room, climbing onto Stephen’s lap and wrapping his arms around the other man’s neck. Stephen laughed into the kiss that followed.

“Is this because I washed the sheets the other day?” Tony inquired.

“That kick started it, yeah,” Stephen admitted. “But it’s mostly because we never get to spend enough time together, and I kind of miss you.”

Tony stole another kiss. “I miss you too. Thank you, Stephen. I promise I won’t make you regret spending three straight days with me.”

“I’ll never regret a single thing when it comes to you, sweetheart.”


	6. Ask For Help

Neither of them were particularly good at letting the other know when they needed something.

It just wasn’t in their natures. They thought it was a sign of weakness, that the other would find it annoying or pathetic. Slowly but surely they got better at it, knowing that doing it themselves would allow for their partner to feel confident in reciprocating when they needed to.

At first, Stephen found it unfair that the things he needed help with were so...personal. Not being able to use his hands at all on some days was horribly difficult. He used magic when he could, but even that was impossible at points. His body could only sustain so much before it refused to cooperate.

Today was one of those days. Which was why Tony was currently shaving his face before he would move on to cut his hair.

Truth be told, Stephen had grown to love these moments with Tony. The engineer was so focused, so careful and tender in his actions. He used the same attention he would on any project he would work on. His steady hands moved easily, using the razor as expertly as if it were one of his own inventions.

It was oddly intimate. Stephen sat on the counter, his legs spread so Tony could stand between them, the sorcerer at the perfect height for his boyfriend to work. After wiping off the excess shaving cream and ensuring he didn’t miss any spots, Stephen moved to sit on the edge of the tub while Tony grabbed the scissors and set to work trimming his hair. He rested his sore hands on Tony’s legs, gripping lightly just to feel the other man.

Early on in their relationship, Stephen very quickly learned how affectionate Tony was. He wasn’t sure he had ever met someone who was so tactile, so expressive with their hands. Stephen loved Tony’s hands. They were strong and sure, perfectly calloused and rough with years of work. No matter how deep asleep or tight in the grips of a panic attack he was, Stephen always recognized the feel of Tony’s hands. Without fail.

His eyes fluttered closed when Tony started running his fingers through the strands of his freshly trimmed hair, slowly extending out from his scalp to the ends to make certain everything was even. He did it several times, the last few because he knew Stephen loved the feeling of having his hair played with.

“Close enough,” Tony mused. The same joke he always made.

Stephen’s eyes opened, looking up to find Tony’s. “Thank you,” he said as he stood, giving Tony a kiss for his hard work.

“My pleasure,” Tony murmured against Stephen’s lips. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“I can think of a thing or two.”

There hadn’t been any suggestiveness in Tony’s question, but Stephen’s response was dripping with it. This certainly wasn’t the first time that had happened after a moment like this. Stephen wasn’t sure if it was because Tony had been standing so close to him for so long, or if it was due to his hands being on Stephen’s skin for nearly an hour. Whatever it was, he didn’t quite care. He just wanted Tony.

Because this was common between them at this point, Tony knew not to question it. He knew Stephen was capable of consenting and knowing what he wanted. He knew that while his hands weren’t in the position to do all that much, that didn’t mean the taller man didn’t want any physical contact. He knew exactly what to do to make Stephen feel something other than the pain for a little while.

Slowly, Tony moved them out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. He carefully laid Stephen out on the bed, kissing him as deeply as he possibly could. This was the part Stephen really loved. Tony was methodical about it, as he was most things. But it still felt so intimate, so perfect. He took his time removing Stephen’s clothes, seemingly unaware of the fact that he himself was also fully clothed, forgoing that for the moment to take care of his lover.

It used to make Stephen feel guilty. Because all he could really do was lay there, kissing Tony the best he could, trying to use the parts of his body that weren’t locked up in pain. Several conversations had to occur between them before Stephen was convinced there was nothing to feel guilty about, that Tony reveled in these moments as much as Stephen did.

Tony’s mouth and hands were everywhere. To Stephen it felt like every inch of his body was being covered by the other man. Steady fingers were tracing the ridges of his ribs. Chapped lips were moving across his neck, his collarbones, his chest. Another hand found its way to Stephen’s thigh, brushing against the skin lightly.

“Are you okay?”

Even though this happened every time, and would multiple times throughout the interaction, the question always made Stephen’s heart pull. He had never, in his life, been with anyone who had ever checked in on him during anything physical. The first time Tony had done so, Stephen didn’t know how to respond. Now, he was well versed in Tony’s thoughtfulness, and reciprocated just as often.

“Yeah,” Stephen breathed more than said. He lifted his hands to rest them on Tony’s shoulders. His hips shifted up on their own accord, forcing more contact with Tony’s body above him.

“Can you tell me what you want?”

A shuddering breath left Stephen’s lungs. He forced himself to keep his eyes open as Tony moved so he was looking down at him. “I want you,” Stephen finally managed. “I want you inside me. I want to feel all of you. Tony. Please.”

“I’ve got you, baby,” Tony said soothingly, moving back to kiss Stephen’s jaw just below his ear. “I’m going to take care of you.”

“ _Tony_.”

The way Stephen said his name spurred Tony into action. It wasn’t quite a whine, but it was close. And he would never, ever make Stephen beg. The other man had never outright said it, but Tony knew well enough that it took an immense amount of trust for Stephen to surrender to him like this. To be completely vulnerable and exposed. There was no way Tony would ever take advantage of that.

While he didn’t tease, Tony still took his time. He mapped every inch of skin on Stephen’s torso with his lips and tongue before he reached his ultimate goal. During his gradual descent, his hand had stroked Stephen’s length steadily, applying pressure in all of the right places. As he settled between Stephen’s legs he looked up, finding those perfect icy blue eyes looking down at him. Stephen nodded once and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

Once he had, Tony’s lips were around the head of his cock, and time seemed to cease to exist.

Stephen tried to watch, because he absolutely loved the sight of Tony between his thighs, but his eyelids just didn’t want to cooperate with him. His eyes fell closed, head pressed back into the pillows behind him as Tony worked. The sounds from Tony’s mouth on his body were a welcome second place to being able to actually see it. Not that Stephen couldn’t picture it perfectly in his head.

Gentle taps to his hip a few minutes later made Stephen open his eyes. It was something they had come up with between them, especially in times like this. The signal was to get Stephen back to the present so he could see and be aware of the fact that Tony was going to proceed to the next step and wanted Stephen to not only know that, but consent to it.

The way he did so was to nudge Tony with his knee. With a bottle of lube in his hand, the brunet was looking back at him patiently. Stephen nudged him again, but Tony remained still.

“Please. Keep going.”

Tony’s pause was only intended to draw verbal confirmation from Stephen. As well as he could read the other man, Tony always preferred to be completely sure. He knew all too well how quickly things could change with everything their bodies had been through over the years. There were times when communicating with words was difficult for each of them. But if they could get it out, they always did. For the other as much as themselves.

Feeling Tony’s fingers start to slide into him at the same time his mouth returned to his aching length almost sent Stephen over the edge. Tony noticed and slowed down, pulling off Stephen’s dick for a moment and returning with short licks instead. His fingers stroked in and out of Stephen’s body thoroughly until he recognized the moment the man below him was going to start trying to tug at him. Not wanting Stephen to use his hands at all, Tony moved up his lithe body and kissed him to distract him for a moment.

“Talk to me, baby,” Tony requested against Stephen’s lips.

Shaky fingers worked their way into Tony’s soft hair. Stephen’s other hand rested on the curve of Tony’s neck, the heat of his skin feeling wonderful on his sore palm. “I’m ready,” Stephen reported, shifting his legs until they were bracketing Tony’s hips. “I’m ready for you, Tony. I want this. I want you.”

His words weren’t desperate. They were measured and steady and sure. Tony only took the time necessary to kiss Stephen again before moving to position himself at the entrance of Stephen’s body.

“Breathe with me, Stephen,” he instructed.

It was only when the sorcerer did so that Tony brought them completely together.

With anyone else, Stephen would have been embarrassed at how quickly he was brought to his release. But, to be fair, he would never have been in this position with anyone else. There wasn’t another person imaginable who Stephen would ever trust to see him like this, to have him like this. And that wasn’t lost on Tony in the slightest.

Just as Tony had finished cleaning them up, Stephen fully came back to himself. He became completely aware of the other man tugging on his boxers for him, having done the same himself, and maneuvering them under the covers. Stephen wrapped his arms around Tony instantly, drawing himself against his lover’s bare chest, skin still perfectly warm and soothing.

“I love you so much.”

The words came out uneven and breathy. Tony returned the embrace just as tightly, making sure there was no strain whatsoever on Stephen’s hands or arms.

“I love you too,” Tony replied without hesitation.

“I’m sorry I get like this,” Stephen relayed into Tony’s skin.

A firm kiss was pressed to the top of Stephen’s head. “You have nothing to apologize for,” Tony said, keeping with their tradition of having this conversation following every time Stephen’s hands rebelled against him. “You’re not a burden to anyone, least of all me. I love being able to help you with whatever you need. I would do absolutely anything for you, Stephen. I love you.”

Somewhere, a joke about Tony cooking for him brewed in Stephen’s mind. But it never materialized, because he was far too content with their current arrangement to risk changing it. Their legs were tangled together, keeping their bodies huddled against one another perfectly.

Allowing them both to drift off to sleep peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More and more I'm finding I'm a sucker for vulnerable Stephen trusting Tony entirely. He's so touch starved and moments like these bring them even closer together and I can't stop writing these types of scenes. Not sorry.


	7. Ask For Attention

Their first real fight was one of the best things that happened for their relationship. It helped that it was relatively early on, because it created a standard for them going forward.

But at the time, it was extremely anxiety inducing for Tony. So much so that he convinced himself the relationship was already over.

It all started with a broken mug.

In Tony’s mind, it was going to be a lazy day at the Sanctum. He had spent the previous night with Stephen in his four poster bed, and in the morning the pair made breakfast together. Tony had assumed, and really had _hoped_ , that they would either go back to bed for the rest of the morning, or cuddle up on the couch together. Which was certainly something new for him. He was usually extremely resistant to down time because that was when his mind would start to wander and anxiety would set in. But when he started dating Stephen, that changed. There was very little he liked more than to just lounge around with his boyfriend, doing absolutely nothing other than spending time together.

On this particular day, however, Stephen had work to do. Which he set to shortly after breakfast, to Tony’s dismay. But he figured it would be short lived, and they would soon be making out on the couch while a movie played in the background for them to willfully ignore.

After over three hours, as the morning turned to afternoon, Tony started to get restless. He had been around Stephen when he was working before, but this felt different for some reason. Stephen seemed much more focused on what he was researching than usual. Was he just imaging that? Or was Stephen doing it to ignore him? Did he do something to annoy him last night? Or at breakfast? Things had seemed fine. Especially last night. They had sex, after all, and fell asleep in each other’s arms. And everything had been going so well between them so why–

Tony hadn’t even noticed his leg had started bouncing until his own knee knocked the mug out of his hands and sent it falling to the floor, where it landed onto the hardwood and smashed into several pieces.

_Well, that’s a rather fitting sign_ , Tony thought to himself as he stared down at the mess.

“Are you okay over there?” Stephen asked, glancing up from his desk for a moment.

With a nod, Tony slid off the couch to start cleaning up. “Yeah. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

But Stephen had already turned back to what he was reading.

To keep himself busy, Tony went above and beyond in his cleaning. He made sure to get each and every last piece of broken ceramic. Using a soapy wash rag, he cleaned the floor twice, then spent about five minutes with a dry towel trying to polish the wood that had never been polished in the first place.

Once his task was done, he was effectively on edge and unable to do anything about it.

“I’m sorry,” he heard himself saying again.

After a moment, Stephen realized Tony had spoken. His eyes flicked up briefly. “Don’t worry about it. That was one Wong used.”

_He made a joke. That’s a good thing. He can’t be mad at me if he’s making a joke. Why would he be mad at me, anyway? He’s just busy. Leave him alone. Let him get his work done. You need to–_

“Are you hungry?” Tony asked instead. 

“No, I’m fine.”

“Need some more tea?”

“Really, Tony, I’m fine.”

Whether it was truly there or not, Tony heard a sternness in Stephen’s tone. And that was all that mattered – what Tony heard, and not what was actually there. Or, in this case, _not_ there.

So he started pacing. And once he started, he couldn’t stop.

It took almost three minutes before it made Stephen look up  with a raised eyebrow. “You just had to have that third cup of coffee, didn’t you?”

There wasn’t any heat behind Stephen’s words. He was teasing, as he always did with Toy when it came to his caffeine addiction. But he hadn’t recognized that Tony was spiraling, because as far as he was concerned, there was no reason for him to be. It took some time for Stephen to get used to the learning curve when it came to Tony’s anxiety, and unfortunately, he wasn’t quite up to speed just yet.

So instead of calming Tony down, he accidentally pushed him off the edge.

“Can you just tell me what I did so I can fix it?”

The question took Stephen so off guard that he didn’t respond for several moments. He finally shook his head once and frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re mad at me,” Tony huffed. “Which is understandable. But I can’t figure out why, so please just tell me so I can figure out how to fix it.”

Stephen blinked. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Just tell me!”

He really hadn’t meant to yell. But his heart was racing, and he was starting to have trouble breathing, and all he wanted was to fix it. That’s what he did. He fixed things. Granted, he wasn’t quite as skilled at doing so when it came to relationships with people, but he would certainly try.

For Stephen, he would try anything.

“I’m not mad at you,” Stephen said, trying to keep his voice even. But he was starting to feel like he was under attack and he didn’t understand why. “I’m just busy.”

“Are you really?” Tony asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Or are you just trying to get rid of me?”

“If I wanted to get rid of you, I would have by now.” Stephen stood, suddenly not liking that Tony was standing and he was sitting. “What’s gotten into you?”

The question was lost on Tony. He was focusing on the first thing Stephen had said, except he had turned it into  _he wants to get rid of you_ in his head.  _He’s been waiting for an opportunity, and you just gave him one by acting like a total psycho for no reason. Why can’t you just sit down and shut up?_

“Why wait? This was inevitable, we both know that. So just say what you want to say and I’ll go.”

Stephen threw his hands in the air. “Tony, what the _hell_ are you talking about? What do you want me to say? I have no idea what’s going on. You broke my mug and now–”

“So that’s why you’re so mad? Because I broke the mug?”

“I’m not mad at you!”

In the back of his mind, a voice was telling Stephen that it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for him to be yelling at the other man if he wasn’t mad. But he wasn’t. Or, he hadn’t been, but now he was getting there because he was confused. This was all coming out of nowhere and didn’t make a lick of sense. Tony was acting like they had been in some massive fight leading up to this instead of spending a quiet day together. Stephen didn’t know what he had done to make him start acting like this.

Unfortunately, Stephen wasn’t any better at dealing with people than Tony was. He wanted to be, just as Tony did, but it wasn’t that easy. He started to think that Tony was feeling stuck, feeling trapped, and was looking for a way out.

“Why can’t you just be honest?” Tony wanted to know.

Stephen moved from behind his desk to come closer to Tony, but the other man took a step back reflexively. So Stephen stopped. “I am being honest. I’m not mad at you. I have no idea where this is coming from.”

“I know I’m bad at this, okay? I know I’m not the ideal person to be in a relationship with. But I thought you knew that, I thought you understood that I’m a head case and have a hard time with stuff like this.”

“With _what?_ ” Stephen meant to ask, but it came closer to demanding.

And served to scare Tony off completely. “I’m just going to go.” His words were suddenly weak, tone defeated. He couldn’t articulate how he was feeling, couldn’t make sense of any of it, and figured it was just best that he removed himself from the situation.

“I don’t...” Stephen started, but trailed off. If Tony didn’t want to be here, he wasn’t going to try and force him into staying. “Okay,” he sighed.

Maybe they were overtired and just needed some space to gather their thoughts. About what, Stephen had no god damn idea. But he didn’t want to keep fighting, if this was even what was happening.

So Tony left.

And, of course, an emergency at Kamar-Taj arose later that day, taking Stephen away for close to forty-eight hours.

Tony took the sorcerer’s silence during that time to be him expressing he preferred things to be this way. Which, of course, wasn’t the case. But Tony couldn’t make himself see that.

During those two days, he stayed in the lab the entire time. It was nowhere near the longest time he had done so, but it felt more exhausting than any other length of time could have. He racked his brain trying to figure out how he had messed up something so good so quickly. It was just his personality, he surmised. Maybe it was fun and exciting to be with someone with so many problems at first, but that novelty would wear off fast. That’s what happened. He wore Stephen down. And he lost him.

He was trying to convince himself that this was actually a good thing when the sound of the lab door opening made him jump to the point he was sure his heart stopped beating.

Tony whirled around in his desk chair to find Stephen standing in the doorway, the late morning light from the penthouse windows behind him setting him in an almost glow. His hands were hidden in the pockets of his jacket so Tony couldn’t see how unsteady they were today.

“I’m sorry to just show up like this,” he said sheepishly. “But FRIDAY kept saying you weren’t available and I...” he shook his head slowly. “I think we need to talk.”

The words felt like a punch to the stomach, but Tony nodded nonetheless. He got up from his chair and started walking towards Stephen, who eventually moved out of the way to let Tony pass before following him into the living room.

They settled onto the couch, a little farther apart than they normally would be. Which Tony took to mean Stephen was about to end things with him.

Now that he was out of the lab and in better light, Stephen saw just how run down Tony was. Far too pale, with dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. It was obvious he hadn’t slept, much the same as Stephen, and clearly he hadn’t eaten anything or drank something other than coffee in the recent past.

Before Stephen could think of where to begin, Tony was talking rapidly.

“I’m sorry, okay? I never wanted any of this to happen. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I never have and I don’t think I ever will. It’s just – my brain can’t take it sometimes. It just runs away from me and I can’t do anything about it. I swear I don’t do this on purpose I really don’t want to be like this at all but I–”

“Tony,” Stephen cut in gently, forcing the other man to stop and take a breath. “There’s nothing wrong with you. But I just – I don’t understand what happened the other day. I’m sorry it took me so long to come after you.” He paused for a moment, looking at Tony try to keep his panic at bay. “Do you think...can you explain it to me? I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m just very confused and hate seeing you like this.”

The brunet took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know. I just thought we were going to hang out, watch a movie or something. But you had work to do. I get that. It just seemed like you were acting differently than you normally do when you’re working, when I’ve been there before, and it felt like you were mad at me because you were ignoring me. Then I broke the mug and you seemed more upset and I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong in the first place.”

“Wait. It all started – you wanted to hang out with me, but I was working, and that gave you an anxiety attack?”

Stephen’s tone was gentle. Sad, even. It hurt him that he was the cause for any pain Tony had been going through.

“I don’t...” Tony started, but faltered. “I don’t know.”

“If we had just hung out all day instead, do you think you would have still thought I was mad at you?”

Tears sprang into Tony’s eyes, making him look away to keep Stephen from noticing. But he already had. Tony tried to swallow the lump that was starting to form in his throat. “No. It would have just been a normal day. I didn’t mean to – I just thought it was going to be one of those days, I guess, and I didn’t understand why it seemed like you didn’t want me to be there after breakfast.”

“You wanted my attention.”

It wasn’t meant as an accusation, or in a negative way. It was a realization. Stephen finally understood what had happened, but it didn’t quite make him feel any better. Because it made him realize it really was all his fault that Tony had been so upset.

He reached out a shaky hand and laced his fingers with Tony’s. “We had a great night together. Then we made breakfast together, and you just wanted to keep that going. I didn’t realize – I should have known suddenly diving into work would give you that impression. It wasn’t that I didn’t want you around anymore. I thought you might have some work to get done too, and I just...I’m sorry, Tony. But why didn’t you just tell me that?”

An empty laugh forced its way from Tony’s lungs. “You mean other than because I didn’t exactly recognize it myself at the time? Or because begging for your attention is the most pathetic thing I could possibly think of?”

“Asking for something you need isn’t the same as begging,” Stephen countered. “It’s not pathetic. Wanting attention is one of the most human things there is.”

“So you just want me to tell you whenever I want your attention? Whenever I want to spend time with you?”

“Yes.”

The simplicity and ease of Stephen’s answer threw Tony off. “I – that’s going to drive you insane.”

A warm smile spread across Stephen’s lips. “No, it’s not. I don’t want you to ever feel like you did the other day. There might be times where I can’t drop whatever I’m doing right then and there, but most times, I can. And I will. For you. Because you’re so important to me, and I’ve obviously done a terrible job of showing you that.”

“No,” Tony said, shaking his head. “I’m just a–”

“Don’t,” Stephen stopped him firmly. “Whatever you’re about to say about yourself, just don’t. Because it’s not true.”

A few moments passed while Tony took his time to process what was going on. “So you’re not breaking up with me?” he asked hesitantly.

“God, no,” Stephen said immediately. “Of course not. This was a miscommunication, is all.”

“Because I’m incapable of communicating,” Tony mumbled.

“No, because it’s not easy. For anyone. I’m not suggesting that it is. But I think we can figure out how to make it easier.”

Tony chewed his bottom lip. “So you’re saying – if I’m getting anxious, and want your attention, all I have to do is tell you that?”

“Yeah,” Stephen agreed. “It may not be easy, but it is pretty simple.”

“And you’re not...that won’t piss you off?”

Stephen squeezed Tony’s hand the best he could. “No. I want nothing more than for you to feel comfortable telling me how you’re feeling, telling me what you need. And I’m going to do the same. It’s a two way street.”

“Okay,” Tony said after only a moment’s pause. “Maybe, uh, maybe it’s a good time to start that right now?” he asked shyly. Stephen raised an eyebrow. “I’m exhausted. So I – are you busy? Can you stay?”

“I can stay,” Stephen said with a soft smile.

Tony nodded once. “Okay. Okay, great. I’m going to take a shower, and then maybe we can take a nap?”

“Any chance I can join you in the shower?”

The answer to that came by way of Tony standing, still holding Stephen’s hand, and leading him down the hallway to the bedroom, through to the en suite. They shed their clothes and were under the hot water in record time.

Immediately, Stephen gathered Tony in his arms. The engineer went willingly, wrapping his arms around Stephen’s neck and finally bringing their lips together.

It started off slow, but eventually started to escalate as the pent up emotions they had both been feeling the last two days started to spill over. But because of Tony’s extended lab binge, his body wasn’t quite responding the way he wanted it to.

And, thanks to the fact their bodies were pressed together, Stephen happened to notice.

“I’m sorry,” Tony mumbled against Stephen’s lips. It was barely audible over the rush of the water. “I haven’t slept, and sometimes I–”

He was silenced by a gentle kiss from Stephen. “Don’t apologize, Tony.”

“Does it still count as make up sex if it’s after a nap or two?” Tony joked, trying to deflect from his disappointment and embarrassment.

“It definitely does,” Stephen assured him with a slight chuckle.

Ten minutes later, they were in clean sweats and crawling into Tony’s bed together. They situated themselves with Tony’s head on Stephen’s chest, where he snuggled in with a sigh. He slipped his left hand under Stephen’s t-shirt, tracing his calloused finger tips over the sensitive skin under the taller man’s belly button. Stephen pulled Tony against him as much as possible, somewhat convinced that if he just held him tight enough, he could mend all of the broken pieces.

“I shouldn’t have let you walk away the other day,” he mumbled into Tony’s still damp hair. “You mean so much to me, Tony. You mean everything to me.”

“It’s not your fault. If I wasn’t such a needy little–”

“Stop.”

A sigh stuttered from Tony’s lungs. “I promise I’m going to be honest with you, the best that I can.”

“I promise I’ll never, ever hold that against you.”

And he never, ever did.

In fact, they both kept their promises.

Most times, Tony wouldn’t say “Stephen, I need your attention.”

He would ask to go for a walk. Or what movie Stephen felt like watching later. Or inquire as to any exciting developments in the world of neurology these days.

Precise words weren’t necessary. They got very good at reading each other very quickly.

When Stephen asked if Tony was hungry, it really meant he was worried the other man hadn’t eaten enough recently. When he wanted to know how the meeting with the Avengers had went, it was because he was on edge and ready to fight whoever may have been a jerk to Tony.

But there were times, on both sides, where they flat out said “I need you to pay attention to me.”

And they always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came to me because it's a rule my best friend and I have. Unfortunately, he struggles with anxiety, and we came up with this. It works both ways and has honestly been so useful. 
> 
> The last chapter should be up tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well! This year is finally over!


	8. Remind Each Other Of All The Good Still In The World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read, commented, kudos'd. It's always very much appreciated!

“Please say something.”

The desperation in Stephen’s voice made Tony’s stomach clench. It didn’t matter that there was currently a heavy blanket draped over Stephen’s shoulders, being held in place by Tony’s arms secured around the other man. The sorcerer had been shaking uncontrollably ever since he returned from his mission.

From something called the Nightmare Dimension.

Tony would really like to know just why in the  _ fuck _ a place like that needed to even exist in the first place, but this was neither the time nor the place. His boyfriend was slowly falling apart in his arms, and it was his job to prevent that from happening.

He stroked his fingers through Stephen’s sweaty hair and began. “Peter finally asked MJ out,” he reported softly. “She threw her book at him and demanded to know why it took him so long. They’re going to get pizza and see a movie Friday night. He made me promise sixteen times not to try and spy on them.”

A deep breath on Stephen’s part was the only acknowledgment he had heard what Tony said.  But the billionaire knew words were not going to be Stephen’s strong suit for the foreseeable future, and that was okay. 

“He’s so excited. He couldn’t stop smiling. I’m going to tease him for at least a year, I think. He already said he’s going to you for dating advice and not me because I can’t be trusted. I didn’t disagree with him.” Tony adjusted his grip on Stephen slightly to run his hand up and down his back. “DUM-E chipped his claw again today. It looks kind of bad ass so I left it like that for now. He doesn’t seem to mind.”

As the minutes wore on, Tony became increasingly glad he had managed to get them onto the bed as opposed to toppling to the floor upon Stephen’s return. The expansive mattress was very much preferable to the hard wood. Stephen was in Tony’s lap, clinging to him as if he were a lifeline.

Slowly, the buzzing in his head died down, leaving only Tony’s steady, calming voice. He listened to the failed experiments resulting in Bruce Banner having to extinguish several small fires in the lab earlier that day. The musings and general observations of his boyfriend brought him back to Earth, helping him forget the hell he had just witnessed.

Even though he was starting to relax in Tony’s grip, the brunet’s voice remained soft. “Oh, I found that great bread at the grocery store too. The one you say is the best for sandwiches. I got three loaves. Which, yeah, I know sounds like a lot, but they don’t always have it so I wanted to be safe and stock up. Pepper says you can freeze it. Did you know that? Won’t it get soggy when it defrosts? She says no, but I’m not sure I believe her.”

It was somewhere around the monologue pertaining to how it wasn’t his fault Fury was receiving promotional e-mails from every conceivable As Seen On TV product that Stephen started to drift off. Tony responded accordingly, pulling him back carefully until he was laying against the pillows, with Stephen securely on his chest, still talking as the sorcerer fell into a deep sleep.

Reminders were important. Knowing that not everything was terrifying and heartbreaking and dangerous was crucial to staying sane in order to keep going.

Stephen thought Tony was much better at it than he was. Tony was convinced there was nothing he couldn’t get through so long as he had Stephen by his side.

Nightmare induced panic attacks included.

As if the hellish dreams weren’t enough, he always woke up from them feeling as if he was unable to breathe. It was reminiscent of Afghanistan, when it felt like his chest was in a vice grip. Or New York, when he shot through a worm hole only to have his muscles and lungs constrict on him as he fell lifelessly back to Earth.

He was pretty sure he had actually died, and Bruce just managed to Hulk him back to life.

The choked sounds of Tony struggling to breathe always woke Stephen up. Over time, the sorcerer had become accustomed to the cycles of Tony’s anxiety. He could predict when a stressful day would turn into a rough night, his body always attuned to Tony’s, ready to be there when he was needed.

Helping Tony to understand where he was when he startled awake was maybe the most important.

Before he’s even fully awake himself, Stephen is sifting his shaky fingers through Tony’s hair gently. FRIDAY raises the lights gradually, so that when Tony’s eyes snap open, he’ll be able to see the room around him clearly.

But the first thing he always searches for is Stephen’s eyes.

“Tony,” Stephen says, voice low and calm. “You’re okay, sweetheart. You’re in bed in the Tower in New York. You’re okay.”

He tries to swallow, but chokes on air instead. He sits up quickly, reaching out until he comes into contact with Stephen. His thigh. Tony grips it just shy of too hard.

“I can’t–” he starts, but the two words use all of the air he had left in his lungs. His eyes start to dart around, shiny with tears and as unsteady as his trembling body.

“Hey,” Stephen almost hums, moving his hand to the back of Tony’s neck. He waits patiently until the startled brown eyes find his again. “You’re alright. You’re safe.”

Tony shakes his head once. His eyes flick to the foot of the bed before he’s able to drag them back to look at Stephen, who smiles at him softly.

A gentle hand covers Tony’s where it rests on Stephen’s leg. “We had dinner with Peter tonight. You made us pizza. Peter ate the entire veggie one by himself again. He needed help with his math homework.” After a moment, Tony started to nod. He swallowed hard, keeping his bloodshot eyes trained on Stephen’s. “We watched a movie after Peter went home. _The Sting._ You were appalled I had never seen it.”

“Stephen.”

No time was wasted in Stephen wrapping his arms around Tony and hugging him tightly. Tony buried his face against Stephen’s neck, inhaling the other man’s scent as if it were a valuable antidote. He slipped his hands under Stephen’s t-shirt, running his calloused fingers over the smooth skin of his lover’s toned stomach.

“It’s early Friday morning,” Stephen reported, keeping up with his list of facts he knew would ground Tony. “Peter’s coming over again after school. You promised him Thai food from that new place a few blocks away in exchange for him telling you about his date with MJ.” He pressed his lips firmly to Tony’s temple and tightened his hold. “You’re okay. You’re safe. _Everyone_ is safe.”

For the ten minutes it took for Tony to get his breathing and heart rate under control, they stayed in each other’s arms. Stephen paid careful attention to each inhale and exhale from Tony against his own chest, looking for any signs of another attack coming on. But the calming feeling of Stephen all around him was keeping the worst of the anxiety at bay.

Save for that caused by the guilt of waking Stephen up. Again.

Tony pulled back reluctantly, about to begin making his apologies and attempting to flee to the lab. Exiling himself on his bad nights was a habit Stephen had mostly broken, but not quite completely. The sorcerer could always tell when that move was coming from Tony’s eyes. Shiny with tears, looking anywhere but at him, saying more than words could.

So Stephen framed Tony’s face with his scarred hands and gently maneuvered his chin until eye contact was forced. “Stay with me, honey.”

It was clear he meant more than physically. Slipping back into the clutches of the nightmare was all too easy and something Tony feared each time he woke up from one. The collapsed feeling under his skin didn’t seem to want to go away. But he was too tired to get out of bed. Just the thought of not being next to Stephen made his breath stutter in his lungs.

They settled back down on the pillows facing one another. Their legs tangled together effortlessly. Tony’s left hand reached out until it came into contact with Stephen’s hip, gripping to remind himself that this moment was real. For his part, Stephen kept a hand brushing through Tony’s hair.

“Remember last summer, when you left the boys alone in the lab for too long and they built drones?”

Stephen’s words cleared the last of the haze from Tony’s eyes. His lip twitched at a smile. A shaky breath left his lungs as he nodded slightly.

“Five minutes later and Harley would have figured out how to get the paper clip missile launcher to work. I still don’t know why they worked so hard on something they planned on destroying in thirty seconds,” Stephen mused. “But that was my favorite day of the summer.”

“Yeah?” Tony sighed more than said.

With a nod, Stephen smiled. “It rained all day so we were stuck inside. You made waffles for breakfast. We played _Clue_ until we realized DUM-E messed up picking the cards. That’s when you told Peter and Harley we had a very important conference call to take because you’re incapable of keeping your hands to yourself. While we were fooling around they built flying attack bots and wrecked half the lab.”

“Worth it,” Tony breathed. “That was a good day. We watched the entire new season of _Stranger Things,”_ he remembered.

“Until four in the morning,” Stephen replied, still smiling. “I don’t think we saw the boys until dinner the next day.”

A wave of exhaustion swept over Tony, but he knew sleep was likely not an option for him the rest of the night. He shuffled closer to Stephen, loving the warmth coming from his body. His tired eyes blinked slowly, studying Stephen’s face as if he were going to be tested on it at any moment.

The nightmares were awful. They absolutely sucked. Tony was fairly sure he would do just about anything to get rid of them permanently. But he had to admit that some good did come of them. He was reminded of that every time, when Stephen would wake up with him and be a steady, loving presence next to him for the rest of the night.

He couldn’t help but think how lucky he was. Yes, he was plagued with trauma and residual pain that would likely persist for the rest of his life. But that life would be spent with Stephen, and Peter and Harley, and he really couldn’t think of anything more worthwhile than that.

“Tony?” Stephen asked softly, frowning slightly at Tony’s seemingly glazed over state. “Talk to me.”

“I love you.” The words were out of Tony’s mouth before Stephen had even finished speaking. “More than I can tell you. I hope you know – god, Stephen...”

“I know,” Stephen assured him, gathering Tony into his arms and tucking his chin on top of the mess of brown curls. “I love you too. Just as much. If not more.”

A short laugh huffed into Stephen’s chest. While neither of them planned on getting a few minutes here or there of sleep going forward, they both let their eyes close and focused on the feeling of being together.

As frequent as these nights were, the pair reminded each other of all the good in their lives virtually every day. The main source being each other.

Take, for example, how Stephen would leave Tony’s favorite pair of sweatpants and t-shirt out on the counter while the brunet was in the shower, ready for him when he got out. It always made him smile because once upon a time, the set had originally belonged to Stephen.

Or how Tony would download documentaries he thought Stephen would be interested in for them to watch together. The subject was almost always something the sorcerer knew more about than the engineer, which was just fine with the latter because he got to listen to his boyfriend excitedly explain things to him for hours on end.

There was simply never any doubt in either of their minds that their partner was going to be there for them, whether it was a bad day or a great day.

Stephen was the first person Tony went to when he had a problem he couldn’t work out, or if he had good news he couldn’t wait to share. Tony was the only living being in the multiverse who could seemingly effortlessly snap Stephen out of a seemingly endless rut and get him to smile again.

When Stephen eventually proposed, Tony burst out laughing.

Not the reaction the sorcerer had been hoping for after setting up a romantic picnic in the mountains, surrounded by warmth even as snow fell around them. It collected in Tony’s perfect chestnut hair, but thanks to the magic, he couldn’t feel the cold.

While Stephen felt like he was about to die, Tony shifted on the blanket next to him and pulled his own black velvet box from his back pocket and opened it to reveal virtually the exact same silver ring Stephen was holding out for Tony.

He looked down at it for several long moments before finding Tony’s eyes again. “I don’t – you didn’t know I was planning this, though.”

Tony’s smile was near blinding. “I’ve been carrying this around with me for almost two weeks now, waiting for the perfect moment. So of course, you beat me to it.”

“Does that mean your answer is yes?” Stephen managed through the thickness of his throat.

A searing kiss followed the moment he had finished speaking. The force of Tony sent Stephen backwards until he was laying down and being covered by the other man.

“Yes,” Tony breathed against Stephen’s lips. He moved back to brush a strand of hair from Stephen’s forehead and smiled down at his now fiance. “I can’t wait to marry you, honey.”

The next kiss Stephen initiated next lasted quite a while.


End file.
